慈濟青年國際服務團波士頓分享經驗 (圖片輯)

2024傅聰鋼琴協奏曲比賽 張霖鍇、要佳林晉級決賽

 

張霖鍇 (左) 和 Jialin Yao (右)晉級決賽。(圖片來自主辦單位)

             (Boston Orange ) 中華表演藝術基金會主辦的傅聰國際協奏曲比賽，10名入圍者在8月17日半決賽後，評審選出要佳林 (Yao, Jialin) 和張霖鍇(Zhang, Sunny Lin Kai)進入決賽，8月18日晚在新英格蘭音樂學院的Williams廳競比。

2024年復璁跟琴協奏曲比賽半決賽入圍者。(圖片來自主辦單位)

              1999年在中國出生的要佳林 (Jialin Yao) ，4歲就開始彈鋼琴。2011年進入北京的中國音樂學院，追隨傅紅研習。2020年開始，他也接受鋼琴家黃若於指導，在中國取得學士學位後，要佳林 (Jialin Yao) 來到美國紐約的茱莉亞音樂學院 (Juilliard School)，跟隨Sergei Babayan大師學習。這些年來他贏過包括紐約鋼琴大賽 (PianoFest)，瑞士Verbier節慶等許多音樂比賽的大獎，目前在南方衛理公會大學(SMU)梅多斯藝術學院，繼續追隨Sergei Babayan大師，研修藝術家文憑。

              來自加拿大的張霖鍇 (Sunny Lin Kai Zhang) ，雖然才19歲，已經在紐約卡耐基聽，史坦威廳的史坦威禮堂等地表演過，也在加拿大和里姆斯基-柯薩夫弦樂四重奏( Rimsky-Korsakov String Quartet)，在義大利和格羅賽托交響樂團 (Grosseto Symphony Orchestra)等合作過無數次音樂會。今年2月，他在溫哥華音樂季表演了Rachmaninoff的第3 鋼琴協奏曲，Orpheum劇院的2800個座位，全部售罄。他參加過許多比賽，在西雅圖國際鋼琴賽中贏得第一名，年僅16歲時就獲選為史坦威年輕藝術家。他目前是茱莉亞音樂學院二年級學生，師從陳宏寬研習。

決賽優勝者將於8月24日在Jordan廳和水星交響樂團一起演奏。

              8月18日晚在新英格蘭音樂學院Williams的決賽，入場免費，主辦單位建議捐款10元。查詳情可上網: http://www.chineseperformingarts.net/contents/summer/2024/0817/index.html。 (更新版)

伍胥山公所辦遺產、信託講座 麻州遺產免稅額2024提高至200萬元

伍胥山公所元老伍煥華 (右起)，主席伍振中，伍氏美東副總'長伍輝民一起
送紀念品，感謝講者珂一律師 (右二)。 (周菊子攝)

               (Boston Orange 波士頓報導) 從2024年起，麻州的遺產免稅額提高至200萬元；生前做信託，把個人資產放進信託內，可以避免一旦個人辭世，其後人得等州政府辦完檢查，認證的流程後，才能動用或處理逝者身後資產的麻煩。

紐英崙伍胥山公所日前特地請專家為宗親們上一堂「信託與遺產」課，幫助宗親了解美國稅法中的遺產與信託相關規定，以就各人狀況做最適合自己的選擇。

伍胥山公所講座，宗親出席踴躍。(周菊子攝)

              Conn Kavanaugh律師樓的律師柯一 (Yi Ke) ，經伍胥山公所主席伍振中，伍氏美東副總長伍輝民，以及元老伍煥華等人引介，說明舉辦講座緣由後，以簡報片，就麻州的遺產稅，信託種類，優缺點，做了一番講解。

              在遺產稅 (Estate Tax)上面，聯邦稅的遺產轉移稅率最高40%，麻州最高16%。從2024年1月1日起，遺產免徵稅額度，聯邦從1292萬元提高到1361萬元。麻州則從100萬元提高到200萬元。麻州人民還可享有9萬9600元的稅金抵減。

伍鍾美貞請宗親提問，珂一律師仔細回答。(周菊子攝)

              做遺產規劃時，要考慮是否留有經認證的遺囑，是否設立了可撤銷或不可撤銷的信託，有沒辦理授權代理 (Power of Attorney)，有沒填寫過醫療決定書 (Healthcare Proxy)，醫療電子數據信息安全保護的授權，生前遺囑，各種契據 (deed)，並妥善保存所有相關文件。

珂一律師以簡報片做說明。

              在信託上，珂一律師說明，信託一般有可撤銷，不可撤銷2種。可撤銷的信託，管理靈活、方便，設立信託的人可隨時修改內容條款。有一份可撤銷信託，還可在個人死亡後，避免遺產認證程序，方便家人接手處理相關財務。不可撤銷的信託，享有稅務上的好處，具有保護自己免於債權人等起訴的困擾。

珂一律師以簡報片做說明。

              伍胥山公所會址當天座無虛席，提問十分踴躍。在回答提問時，珂一律師提醒眾人，美國稅法雖然包山包海，無論各人在世界的哪個角落有資產，都須申報，但是在遺產處理，以及稅賦繳納上，卻並不能「一制走天下」。譬如在中國大陸及香港擁有資產，恐怕還是得諮詢當地律師，或請其代為處理一應事務。尤其是香港回歸中國後，其法律制度正逐漸與中國同步，珂一律師建議在香港有資產的人，要為香港資產另立遺囑，並請香港當地律師代為處理相關事宜。

              講座結束時，伍氏主席伍振中代表伍氏送給珂一律師一個印有伍氏字樣馬克杯，聊表謝意。 (更新版)

新節奏樂隊「昆市好聲音」歌唱賽 訂9月21日甄選11月24日決賽

             (Boston Orange) 新節奏樂隊主辦，有樂隊現場伴奏的「昆市好聲音」中英流行金曲歌唱比賽，今年訂9月21日甄選，11月24日決賽，凡是年滿18歲以上的業餘歌唱愛好者均可參加，9月20日截止報名。

              新節奏樂隊創辦人陳秀華   (Joyce Chan) 已藉海報公佈，今年的比賽冠亞季軍得主，在獎盃之外，依序可得800、400，以及300元獎金。

              「昆市好聲音」即日起受理，9月20日截止報名，費用25元。

              新節奏樂隊在2023年舉辦的「昆市好聲音」比賽，由楊巧儀 (Fiona Yang) 以一曲”海闊天空”贏得冠軍，陳雅莉 (Jennifer Chin)，楊燕如 (Red Yeo)依序奪得亞軍及季軍。麥若蘭 (Helen Mach)贏得最佳台風獎，林淑明贏得”我最喜愛的歌手”獎。

              9月21日(週六)晚，新節奏樂隊將在昆士市的得獎烘培店 Rubato HK Café 安排卡拉OK伴唱，辦理甄選。入圍者將於11月24日(週日)晚7點半至10點，在樂隊現場伴奏中，於哥倫布武士 (Knights of Columbus, 5 Hollis Ave., Quincy) 舉行決賽。

              新節奏樂隊說明，報名「昆市好聲音」歌唱比賽，有3種報名方式，可前往Rubato HK Café (412 Hancock St., Quincy, MA) 索取表格，或洽Joyce Chan ( 617-290-9172) joycesauchan@gmail.com，也可掃描海報上的二維碼。 (更新版)

MAYOR WU, SUPERINTENDENT SKIPPER ANNOUNCE MAJOR STEPS TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES AHEAD OF THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR

MAYOR WU, SUPERINTENDENT SKIPPER ANNOUNCE MAJOR STEPS TO IMPROVE TRANSPORTATION FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES AHEAD OF THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR Boston Public Schools awards Zūm three year contract for new, improved bus tracking platform for families; City also announces opening of new City Academy facility in partnership with UMass Boston to train additional bus drivers

BOSTON - Friday, August 16, 2024 - Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Schools (BPS) Superintendent Mary Skipper today announced two new improvements to ensure BPS’ transportation experience is safe, reliable and on-time for students, families and workers. Building on efforts to improve the daily yellow bus transportation experience for approximately 23,000 students and their families and modernize its operations, BPS has awarded a three-year contract to Zūm. With this new contract, BPS will use Zūm’s technology platform for the upcoming school year district wide which will provide Boston families with improved real-time bus tracking and enhanced communication and transparency about their student’s bus.  Mayor Wu also announced the opening of the new City Academy training facility in partnership with UMass Boston. Located at UMass Boston, the facility will be used to train participants in City Academy’s Commercial Drivers License (CDL) track, support the training of BPS school bus drivers and a new CDL water utilities track. These announcements demonstrate the City’s ongoing commitment to improving transportation for students and families through the use of new, state-of-the-art technology and eliminating barriers to entry for Boston residents, and the intentionality to grow workforce opportunities.  “We have heard from parents and caregivers that there has to be more information and better communication when it comes to transportation. Safety, reliability, accessibility and transparency should be givens in how we get our students to school,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “That’s why today we are excited to announce this partnership with Zūm and a brand new City Academy in Dorchester. We know there are many moving pieces to building the best public schools system on the planet and with these partnerships, community engagement and energy, we are making big strides as we head into this next school year. I wish every family a successful preparation in these last few weeks and look forward to welcoming back everyone to a safe, joyful, and successful start to the school year.” “Implementing this technology will build upon our ongoing work to improve yellow bus on-time performance across the City and provide families with real-time information and communication about their students’ buses location and timing,” said Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper. “The BPS Transportation team has already implemented systems and reforms that improved our year-over-year on-time performance by 2.4 percentage points during the 2023-24 school year. We are confident that Zūm’s technology, which BPS has successfully piloted over the past few months, will allow us to improve our operations and gather comprehensive ridership data to drive our on-time performance higher. Coupled with the opening of the City Academy training facility at UMass Boston, today marks a significant step forward in our commitment to providing accessible, high-quality training opportunities and transportation for Boston families.”  Zūm’s cloud-based technology provides a fully integrated student transportation solution to improve bus operations, reduce student commute times, and track children’s arrival and departure from school while connecting parents, drivers, schools and administrators in real time. Through the Zūm app, BPS parents will be able to view their student’s bus assignment, track their child’s bus in real-time, receive automated delay notifications and ETAs, and monitor their child's pickup or dropoff status. District administrators and operators with appropriate permissions will now be able to track school buses on a live map from start to finish, and ETAs  will be adjusted in real time to account for traffic conditions, road conditions, absent, or delayed students “We are excited to partner with Boston Public Schools. While Boston Public Schools is the nation’s oldest public school system, it has long been known for leading in innovation when it comes to education and data driven decision making,” said Ritu Narayan, Founder and CEO at Zūm. “With Zūm, BPS will now be able to provide state-of-the-art technology to improve student transportation and experience for students, families, drivers and school administrators. Our solution has made a measurable positive impact in some of the country’s largest school districts, and we are thrilled to bring our single unified technology platform to Boston.” “Mayor Wu and BPS did a great job with implementing this new bus tracking app,” said Jasmine Mattier, BPS Parent. “The Zūm app is amazing and was a complete step up from the old app. As a parent participating in the pilot this summer, getting real-time information and communication about my child’s location was amazing. Parents will definitely be more at ease this school year with this new platform.” Zūm’s single integrated technology platform includes routing and operations software, onboard GPS navigation tablets using the Zūm driver app, as well as Zūm’s Parent App. The Parent App will provide Boston families with improved real-time bus tracking and enhanced communication and transparency about their student’s bus. Families can learn more and download the Zūm Parent App on the BPS Transportation website.  If you are a BPS parent or guardian, you can download the Zūm App at app.ridezum.com and prepare to see your student’s bus assignment and track their rides starting this fall.   BPS joins a growing number of innovative school districts that have partnered with Zūm to leverage Zum’s transportation services and technology platform, including Los Angeles Unified School District, San Francisco Unified School District, Seattle Public Schools, Howard County Public Schools, Oakland Unified School District and Metro Nashville Public Schools. City Academy is an initiative managed by the Office of Workforce Development that provides Boston residents with free training to address labor shortages in targeted fields, while connecting Boston's diverse talent pool to family-sustaining jobs. The new City Academy training facility will be used to build upon the initiative's success and train participants in City Academy’s Commercial Drivers License (CDL) track and support. Previously, CDL participants had to travel to Tewksbury to receive training. The new location is easily accessible by public transit, eliminating transportation barriers to entry for Boston residents and improving program recruitment and retention.  “Central to UMass Boston’s mission is to serve as an educational resource for learners at all levels to enhance their skills and advance their careers,” said UMass Boston Chancellor Marcelo Suárez-Orozco. “We are for the city and welcome this opportunity to improve training in this important service area.” The City Academy facility will also be made available to BPS and Transdev, enabling them to partner and train around 120 drivers annually – addressing a critical City workforce need. Resulting jobs will offer health benefits, retirement security, union membership, and opportunities for pay increases.  “Over the last several years, Transdev has partnered with the BPS Department of Transportation and the City of Boston to ensure that there are enough qualified school bus operators to bring students in Boston safely to and from school each day, while also creating more great career opportunities for residents,” said Jim Folk, Transdev General Manager.​ “We are very excited about the new training space, which will allow us to efficiently and effectively train both new and veteran school bus operators. This will help ensure that we are well prepared to safely and reliably transport Boston's students."  Additional roles that City Academy supports Boston residents in acquiring include critical positions such as Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) and for jobs requiring a Commercial Driver’s License and/or Hoisting License (1C/2A classifications) within the City of Boston. These City jobs pay above Boston's living wage and offer benefits and opportunities for career advancement. Additionally, City Academy prioritizes populations facing barriers to employment, including low to moderate-income residents and returning citizens. “It will make a world of difference to have the training site in Boston - it will save people commuting time, allow for folks to take public transportation if they need to, and save wear and tear on our personal vehicles,” said City Academy CDL Participant Tremyne Bray. “I am so thankful for all that City Academy has done for me. I am working for J J Trucking and Bray’s Logistics, owned and founded by City Academy graduate Chris Bray). I’ve gotten to work on resurfacing I-95 and I-495 and learned a great deal about trucking and construction. My dream is to start my own trucking company in the near future.” The City has also partnered with the Boston Water & Sewer Commission to expand City Academy’s CDL training pathway to include a Water Utilities career pipeline. Labor Market analysis predicts that careers in water, wastewater, and stormwater management will grow by over 10,000 positions in the Greater Boston area over the next decade. Through the Water Utilities pathway, City Academy will prepare residents for careers in water utilities, including three entry-level positions at BWSC: Operations Service Repair Person I and II, Special Heavy Motor Equipment Operators I and II. Students will receive their CDL license with tanker endorsement, Hoisting 1B and 2B, and 4E Catch Basin.  “Boston Water and Sewer Commission looks forward to partnering with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to create job opportunities through the City’s Worker Empowerment Cabinet and the Office of Workforce Development,” said Henry F. Vitale, Executive Director of the Boston Water and Sewer Commission. “The new Water Utilities career pipeline will provide skills training to Boston residents who are interested in a career with the Commission and our partners in the industry.” City Academy is currently accepting applications. To be eligible, applicants must: Be a Boston resident Be 18 years or older Have a high school diploma or GED/HiSET Have a valid driver’s license Meet income guidelines Be drug-free For more information and to apply, visit boston.gov/city-academy.

Healey州長出手救5醫院 將斥資450萬元徵用Sanit Elizabeth醫院

麻州州長奚莉 (Maura Healey)今 (16)日下午，特地率健康及人民服務廳廳長
Kate Walsh，公共衛生委員會委員長Robbie Goldstein舉行記者會。 (周菊子攝)

             (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓綜合報導) Steward醫療系統申請破產，將關閉7家麻州醫院所惹出來的天怒人怨，今 (16) 日由麻州州長奚莉 (Maura Healey) 出面宣佈，其中5家醫院將轉手經營，翻開新篇章。

              總部在德州達拉斯的Steward Health Care是美國境內最大的私營牟利醫療系統，在麻州共經營9家醫院，共聘有1萬6千多名醫護人員，照顧及治療4萬多名病患。

今年二月，Steward醫療系統傳出陷入經營困境消息，5月6日申請破產後，7月宣佈有2家醫院找不到買家，預定8月底關門。

在各方協調，Steward仍然決定8月底關閉Nashiba Valley醫療中心，以及多徹斯特的Carney醫院後，麻州政府8月15日晚在Ayer的Devens Common中心舉行公聽會，一開4個半小時。

出席的醫護人員及病患家屬都氣急敗壞的反對醫院關門。有人說關醫院，置病人的生死於不顧，簡直沒良心；有人諷刺地說，如果每個人都死了，錢也就不重要了。還有人憤慨的說，”把人們召集來 (公聽會) 懇求最基本的公共醫療服務，是 (州政府)真的把人民想得那麼微小?”

大多數人的挫折感，來自州政府公共衛生廳 (DPH) 的不作為。出席公聽會的許多人，當晚在會上強烈要求麻州州長執行，醫院在關閉前，必須提前120天通知相關人士的州法規定。

麻州州長奚莉 (Maura Healey)今 (16)日下午，特地率健康及人民服務廳廳長Kate Walsh，公共衛生委員會委員長Robbie Goldstein舉行記者會，報告麻州政府已和相關機構達成協議，為4家醫院找到新的營運者，並將以徵用權方式，出價450萬元來取得聖伊莉莎白 (Saint Elizabeth)醫院的控制權。

如果協議落實，Lawrence總醫院將成為分別位於Haverhill和Metheun 的2家聖家 (Holy Family)醫院的經營者；Lifesapn將接管位於陶頓市(Taunton)的Morton和秋河市的聖安 (Saint Anne’s)醫院；波士頓醫療中心 (Boston Medical Center)將接管位於布洛克頓 (Brockton) 的”好撒瑪利亞人 (Good Samaritan)”醫院，以及動用徵用權取得的聖伊莉莎白醫院 (Sanit Elizabeth)。

奚莉州長說明，要出動徵用權是因為州政府和醫院的物業擁有者，在租約上談不攏。

Steward醫療體系在2016年出售了醫院土地及建築物，隨後付出大筆分紅給股東，其中大部分都給了該醫療體系的創辦人兼執行長Ralph de la Torre。

奚莉州長在記者會中稱許健康及人民服務廳廳長Kate Walsh，公共衛生委員會委員長Robbie Goldstein，以及相關城鎮的州議員，譴責Steward醫療體系管理差勁到沒有其他醫院願意收購的程度。

波城8月15風雲一度變色 市長吳弭街區派對數百人同歡 (圖片輯)

雨過天青後，波士頓市長吳弭已舉辦到第9年的街區派對，依據
吸引數百人前來和市長寒暄問好。(周菊子攝)

波士頓市長吳弭家門前鮮花盛開，都是她媽媽的功勞。 (周菊子攝)

波士頓警察局長Michael Cox (右)，消防局局長 Paul Burke (左)都來同樂。(周菊子攝)

冰淇淋、熱狗、漢堡，鄰居們好開心。(周菊子攝)

             吳弭市長的競選團隊辦完了街區派對後，立即展開助選活動，廣發電郵通知支持者，8月17日早上11點，在Roslindale的華盛頓接4225號亞當的公園，吳弭市長將和聯邦眾議員Ayanna Pressley一起，為角逐最高法院書記的Allison Cartwright站台，請支持者在9月3日之前就投票給她。

For more fun in Roslindale with our team, this Saturday, 8/17, Mayor Wu and Congresswoman Pressley will kick off a canvass for Allison Cartwright, candidate for Clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court, at 11:00am at Adam's Park, 4225 Washington St, in Roslindale. We hope you'll consider voting for Allison on or before Sept 3, and we would love to see you at the canvass kickoff on Saturday if you're able to make it! If you'd like to join, you can sign up online here.

麻州長 Healey 宣佈 4 醫院將交由新東家營運

Governor Healey Announces Actions to Save Remaining Steward Hospitals 

Deals in principle reached to transition ownership of four hospitals, administration will take control of Saint Elizabeth’s and transition to new operator  

BOSTON – Governor Maura Healey today announced that deals in principle have been reached to transition operations at four Steward hospitals – Saint Anne’s Hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center, the Holy Family Hospitals and Morton Hospital – to new operators. The Healey-Driscoll administration will then take control of Saint Elizabeth’s through eminent domain to facilitate the transition to a new owner and keep the hospital open. 

“Today, we are taking steps to save and keep operating the five remaining Steward Hospitals, protecting access to care in those communities and preserving the jobs of the hard-working women and men who work at those hospitals,” said Governor Healey. “Our team under Secretary Kate Walsh worked day in and day out to secure new, responsible, qualified operators who will protect and improve care for their communities. We’re grateful for the close collaboration of the Legislature to develop a fiscally responsible financing plan to support these transitions.”  

“When it comes to finalizing a deal for Saint Elizabeth’s, MPT, Macquarie and Apollo have repeatedly chosen to put their own interests above the health and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts,” said Healey. “Enough is enough. Our administration is going to seize control of Saint Elizabeth’s through eminent domain so that we can facilitate a transition to a new owner and keep this hospital open.”  

If the deals are finalized, Lawrence General Hospital will become the new operator for both campuses of Holy Family in Haverhill and Methuen. Lifespan would assume operations of Morton and Saint Anne’s, and Boston Medical Center would take over Good Samaritan, as well as Saint Elizabeth’s after the taking process is complete. 

To support these new operators through this transition as they continue care for Massachusetts residents, the Healey-Driscoll administration has worked closely with the Legislature to develop a fiscally responsible financing plan that includes cash advances, capital support and maximizing federal matches. 

These actions do not impact Carney or Nashoba Valley hospitals, which will close after not receiving qualified bids. The administration is focused on supporting workers and connecting them to new jobs while also safely transitioning care. 

As part of that, the administration has: 

• Committed $30 million to keep the hospitals open through the end of the month. 
• Yesterday, the Governor demanded that Steward make good on its commitment for severance pay to employees as part of any Massachusetts sale.  
• The MassHire Rapid Response team has been onsite at Nashoba and Carney and met with hundreds of workers to provide job services and connect them with job openings.   
• In the next two weeks, MassHire Rapid Response will host job fairs at both Carney and Nashoba on August 23 and August 27. The job fairs will include more than 40 health care employers in Massachusetts looking for skilled talent. 

 

All Steward facilities remain open and are treating patients.